THE BIG GAME OF AFRICA 



leopard among the bush. Going up wind, with some eight 

 or ten of my men spread out in chainhke fashion behind 

 me, I walked slowly and without making any unnecessary 

 noise, so as not to scare away any beast, before I should 

 have a chance of shooting. We thus walked along for 

 about half an hour, only putting up a small cheetah, which 

 I did not care to fire at for fear of frightening away some 

 bigger game. 



The little, partly dried-out stream was winding its way 

 in constant turns, so that we often had to cross and recross 

 the same. I was again just crossing one of these turns, 

 with one of the gun bearers behind me, and at a place where 

 all that remained of the stream, so formidable during 

 the rainy season, was a big, stagnant pool, which, to judge 

 from the maze of lion, antelope, and zebra tracks, was a 

 favorite drinking place for all kinds of game. Suddenly, 

 as I went down into the bottom of the river, and without 

 a moment's warning, a big lioness, which was hiding in 

 the bush on an islandlike projection in the bottom of 

 the river, jumped out. With an angry grunt, and pass- 

 ing my right shoulder within a yard or two, she tried to 

 make good her escape into a clump of thick bush which 

 we had just passed. 



Had the lioness jumped right upon me instead, her 

 sheer weight would have almost crushed me against the 

 hard river bottom; but as it was, I turned quickly, and 

 with great rapidity fired at the running feline, the bullet 

 crushing her pelvis. Before I had time to fire again, she 

 had disappeared into the dark bush, from where she now 

 ejected the most awe-inspiring roars. With gun cocked 

 and ready, I advanced to within six or seven yards of the 



46 



